Those who want to show off the best swag in Apex Legends just to remind people that you’re one of the best (or just have a lot of money to burn), Respawn Entertainment has announced the Apex Legends Summer of Plunder sale and it’s ive now!
Starting July 21 and running until July 28, players will be able to snag top-tier character and weapon skins and more. Head on below for the goods for the info.
Apex Legends Summer of Plunder Sale:
The treasures you’ve been searching for await. Lay claim to the spoils of war, with incredible bundle deals featuring exclusive weapon & Legend skins and Apex Packs at huge discounts. And be sure to check out the Voidwalker bundles for your chance to get some of the most popular skins we’ve ever released!
Limit of 1 per person on each bundle.
Are you getting anything from the Summer of Plunder deals? Perhaps the Wraith skin bundle for a more dashing void escape? Make sure to bookmark our Apex Legends hub for the latest game news and detailed patch notes.
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players might be grinding out camos and rewards in Season 4, it looks like the Modern Warfare Season 5 start date is nearer than we thought, and it’s in the first week of August!
Twitch streamer NICKMERCS has been given the first teaser for Season 5, and it suggests a big change is coming to Call of Duty:Warzone! The clip below shows what seems to be a a train entering Verdansk. What’s more the video has the date of August 5 at the top, which seems to be the Modern Warfare Season 5 start date.
If that wasn’t enough teasing, Streamer Teep (via ModernWarzone) has also gotten a clip from Infinity Ward and this one features the same August 5 date. The video ends with some sort of explosion, which suggests that the nuke found in Verdansk is finally going off! Check it out below.
Could this mean a map-altering event for Call of Duty: Warzone players? That seems to be it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see if this nuke brings about the reveal for Call of Duty 2020 as previously rumored. Heck, Activision themselves have mentioned how Warzone will be the Call of Duty game that “connects” the different sub franchises. And, y’know, there’s a very juicy Treyarch Easter egg in Warzone too.
The wait won’t be that long, as we’ll probably be getting an announcement from Infinity Ward soon regarding the next season. It’s a toss up just how much Verdansk will be affected, and whether Activision will finally announce this year’s Call of Duty officially.
Announced yesterday by Infinity Ward, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare playlist update July 21 edition is now live! This is a server-side update, and won’t require a download. It brings back Shoot the Ship 24/7 and more!
Modern Warfare Playlist Update July 21:
Shoot the Ship 24/7
Ready to Shoot the Ship? Close-quarters gunplay excels in both locales while marksman can find longer sightlines on Shoot House’s flanking routes. Take advantage of the more frequent engagements you’ll have on both maps to knock out some of this Season’s Officer Challenges and reap the XP rewards. Plus, search for successive kills in the Cranked playlist where you’ll have a short amount of time to get your next kill (or assist) or boom, you’ll explode.
3v3 Gunfight Snipers Onlu
Reinfected Ground War
Duos Stimulus (Warzone)
Plunder Quads (Warzone)
Aside from shaking the playlists up, there’s a bunch of cosmetic items out as well. You can read all about that here. If this includes any stealth weapon or gameplay-related changes, we’ll let our readers know. If you spot any, share ’em in the comments below.
Just last month, Microsoft announced that it’s giving players a chance to try out a ton of still-unreleased games via the Summer Game Fest Xbox Demo event taking place this month. Today, Microsoft has announced the Summer Game Fest Xbox Demo games list!
Before you read on for the complete list, here are 15 newly announced games coming to Xbox One that got announced today.
Ars Fabulae (Punk Notion)
Back to Belt (Mauricio Felippe)
Darkestville Castle (Epic Llama)
Ephemeral Tale (Dawdling Dog, ltd.)
Fractal Space (Haze Games)
Galacide (Puny Human)
Kaze and the Wild Masks (PixelHive)
Mars Power Industries Deluxe (7A Games)
Pixel Skater (Chickopie Games)
Seasons of the Samurai (TopView Studio)
Skycadia (Studio Nisse LLC)
Space Otter Charlie (Wayward Distractions)
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines (tinyDino)
The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav (Daedalic Entertainment)
The Dark Eye: Memoria (Daedalic Entertainment)
Done with that? Head on below for the full list of titles along with which studio is making ’em.
Summer Game Fest Xbox Demo games list:
9 Monkeys of Shaolin (Sobaka Studio)
A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher (Ask An Enemy Studios)
Alchemist Adventure (Bad Minions)
Aniquilation (R-Next)
Antipole DX (Saturnine Games)
Armed and Gelatinous (Three Flip Studios)
Ars Fabulae (Punk Notion)
Back to Belt (Mauricio Felippe)
Bite the Bullet (Mega Cat Studios)
Book of Adventum (Dark Amber Softworks)
Cake Bash (High Tea Frog)
Chickens Madness (Vikong)
Clea (InvertMouse)
Cris Tales (Dreams Uncorporated, SYCK)
Curved Space (Only By Midnight Ltd.)
Dandy Ace (Mad Mimic)
Darkestville Castle (Epic Llama)
Deleveled (ToasterFuel)
Destroy All Humans! (Black Forest Games)
Doodle God: Crime City Demo (JoyBits, Inc)
Dungeon and Gravestone (Wonderland Kazakiri inc.)
Dungeon Scavenger Inferno (Vidama Software)
Ephemeral Tale (Dawdling Dog, ltd.)
Flowing Lights (gFaUmNe)
Fractal Space (Haze Games)
Freshly Frosted (The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild)
Galacide (Puny Human)
Gauntlet Force: Rise of the Machines Demo (Forge Studios)
Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den)
Haven (The Game Bakers)
Helheim Hassle (Perfectly Paranormal)
Hellpoint (Cradle Games)
In the Valley of Death (stdio.gypsy)
Kaze and the Wild Masks (PixelHive)
Klang 2 (Tinimations)
Knight Squad 2 (Chainsawesome Games)
Kova: AlphaLink (Black Hive Media)
KungFu Kickball (WhaleFood Games)
Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale (GrimTalin)
Lost Wing (BoxFrog Games)
Mars Power Industries Deluxe (7A Games)
Mayhem Brawler (Hero Concept)
Momentus (Swerve Studios)
Nine Witches: Family Disruption (Indiesruption)
OkunoKA Madness (Caracal Games)
PHOGS! (Bit Loom)
Pixel Skater (Chickopie Games)
Ponpu (Purple Tree Studio)
Projection: First Light (Shadowplay Studios)
Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games)
Re:Turn – One Way Trip (Red Ego Games)
Road to Guangdong (Just Add Oil)
Rover Wars: Battle for mars Demo (Sakari Games)
Sail Forth (David Evans Games)
ScourgeBringer (Flying Oak Games)
Seasons of the Samurai (TopView Studio)
SkateBIRD (Glass Bottom Games)
Skycadia (Studio Nisse LLC)
Solaroids: Prologue (DynF/X Digital)
Space Otter Charlie (Wayward Distractions)
Swim Out (Lozange Lab)
Swimsanity! (Decoy Games, LLC)
Tesla Force (10tons Ltd.)
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines (tinyDino)
The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav (Daedalic Entertainment)
The Dark Eye: Memoria (Daedalic Entertainment)
The Last Cube (Improx Games)
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (Falling Squirrel Inc.)
Tribble Troubles Demo (Scary Robot)
Unspottable (GrosChevaux Ltd)
WarriOrb (Not Yet)
Welcome to Elk (Triple Topping)
The Summer Game Fest Xbox Demo event will run from July 21 to July 27. In addition to that, Microsoft will be holding an Xbox Series X games showcase this Thursday where we’ll see gameplay footage of Halo Infinite!
If you still haven’t played Psyonix’s fantastic sports-arcade game Rocket League, now you don’t have a reason not to. The studio announced that Rocket League is going free-to-play! The Rocket League F2P version will be out this summer, and will be the complete game as the ones players purchased when it launched back in 2015!
No exact release date has been given yet, but Psyonix has detailed some of the plans for the Epic Games Store and Steam version releases, as well as what players can expect.
What does this mean for the Rocket League gameplay you know and love? The core gameplay will remain the same, but we are refining the main menus to make exploring the game easier. Plus, we’re revamping and improving major features like Tournaments and Challenges, and introducing cross-platform progression! Rocket League action on the field will still be the same core, high-octane hybrid of sports and action you love today, and soon, even more players will share that love. That begins with Rocket League’s release on its newest platform: the Epic Games Store.
Rocket League will release on the Epic Games Store on PC the same time it goes free to play. This version of the game will be identical to the version found on other platforms, and will feature cross-platform play anywhere you play Rocket League, including between the Epic Games Store and Steam.
Those who bought and played Rocket League before launch, you’ll be rewarded with a “Legacy” status and get the following freebies:
“Est. 20XX” title that displays the first year you played Rocket League
200+ Common items upgraded to “Legacy” quality
Golden Cosmos Boost
Dieci-Oro Wheels
Huntress Player Banner
For those who’ve played online before this announcement, you’ll also get a Faded Cosmost Boost. The freebies for the Legacy players will be awarded once the Rocket League F2P version is released this summer.
The inventory of current players aren’t going anywhere, as it’ll still be there once the game goes F2P. Psyonix has more announce which includes cross-platform progression, new features, content and more.
It’s Tuesday, and that means another refresh of activities are in order for Guardians of Destiny 2! MP1st is here with the Destiny 2 weekly reset July 21 list of activities, modifiers and more. Head on below to check ’em out.
Empath: Enhanced radar. Take increased damage from melee.
Nightfall: The Ordeal: Hero
All previous modifiers
Champions: Unstoppable: This mode contains Unstoppable Champions, which cannot be stopped without an Unstoppable mod.
Champions: Overload: This mode contains Overload Champions, which cannot be stopped without an Overload mod.
Champions: Taken: This mode contains both Overload and Unstoppable Champions, which cannot be stopped without an Overload or Stagger mod, respectively.
Hero Modifiers: Extra Shields
Sedia’s Durance: Arc damage increased. Knockback damage and distance increased.
Nightfall: The Ordeal: Legend
All previous modifiers
Equipment Locked: You will not be able to change your equipment after this activity starts.
Match Game: Enemy shields are highly resistant to all unmatched elemental damage.
Legend Modifiers: Match Game & Extra Shields
Nightfall: The Ordeal: Master
All previous modifiers
Attrition: Regeneration is greatly impaired. Defeating enemies may create wells of Light.
Master Modifiers: Champions: Mob & Match Game & Extra Shields & No Saved Checkpoints
Champions: Mob: This mode contains additional Champions.
Complete various activities around the EDZ, including public events, Lost Sectors, and Heroic adventures.
Weekly Crucible Rotator Playlists:
Team Scorched: “You’ve got a Scorch Cannon, they’ve got Scorch Cannons. Make a mess.” —Lord Shaxx – – Fight for Valor by defeating opponents using Scorch Cannons.
Lockdown: “Hold your ground. Yield to no one.” —Lord Shaxx – – Fight for Valor by capturing and holding zones. Win rounds instantly by capturing all three.
Vanguard Burn: Solar Singe
The other modifieres rotate daily, check out the Daily Reset Thread for them!
Moon Activities
Wandering Nightmare: Nightmare of Jaxx, Claw of Xivu Arath (Hellmouth)
Trove Guardian is in Anchor of Light
Menagerie Boss: Pagouri, Vex Hydra
Extinguish: If your fireteam falls in a Restricted Zone, everyone is returned to orbit.
Match Game: Enemy shields are highly resistant to all unmatched elemental damage.
Attrition: Regeneration is greatly impaired. Defeating enemies may create wells of Light.
Arc Singe: Arc damage increases slightly from all sources.
Reckoning Boss: The Swords
Burn: Void Singe
The other modifier rotates daily, check out the Daily Reset Thread for it!
Defeat combatants and Guardians with Kinetic, Energy, and Power weapons.
1000 Glimmer
100 Kinetic weapon defeats & 50 Energy weapon defeats & 25 Power weapon defeats
500 Twisted Energy & XP
Send It
Earn points by defeating combatants and Guardians with Scout and Sniper Rifles. Sniper Rifles and precision final blows with either weapon grant the most efficient progress.
Hopoo Games has announced today the Risk of Rain 2 out of Early Access date, and it’s August 11! Yes, that means that the action game will be out of Steam’s Early Access stage and will officially be “finished.” Alongside the Risk of Rain 2 Early Access departure, there’s new content coming alongside it.
Risk of Rain 2 Out of Early Access content:
Launch Update:
New Survivor, The Captain: Brought to life through 60,000 community votes in April, The Captain joins the crew as the tenth playable character. The Captain controls the battlefield with utility and damage – with help from the Survivors’ orbiting dropship, the UES Safe Travels. He wields a shotgun-rifle combo that narrows the spread as it charges and can stun targets. The Captain can also leverage his high-ranking authority to request probes and beacons from orbit to either provide armor or a healing zone for him and his allies.
New Stage, Monsters and Hidden Boss: A new stage brings your escape run to its natural conclusion: The Moon! Can you survive new lunar monsters and face off against the Final Boss?
Server Browser: The new Server Browser improves the matchmaking experience. Join or create your own dedicated servers with options such as difficulty, rule voting, password protection and more.
New Items: Add a chance to fire magma balls on-hit with Molten Perforator, or drain your opponent’s life bars into yours with Super Massive Leech – just two of the latest additions in the game’s arsenal of more than 110 items.
New Skill Variants and Lore Entries: Complete challenges in game to unlock even more skill variants for Survivors, adding even more strategic potential for Survivors and team composition.
Risk of Rain 2 will be available for download for $24.99, and those who purchase it now before it leaves Early Access can get it for just $19.99.
For more on the game and the content updates, make sure to bookmark our Risk of Rain 2 game hub.
While we got our first look at UFC 4 last week, EA has now revealed our first look at UFC 4 gameplay, and it not only showcases the graphics, but we get an in-depth look at the new striking system, clinch, ground game and more.
With more control in striking, Real Player Motion Technology elevating two-player grappling exchanges, the new submission system, and a devastating ground and pound overhaul, players will feel every phase of the fight EA SPORTS UFC 4 gameplay.
In addtion to that, the submission system has now been revamped as well. Fighters can now strike while in a submission situation, and there are more takedown variations too. It’s a more robust system, that I hope translates to a smoother gameplay experience.
More details about the game has been released alongside the trailer in a press release.
Additionally, players who pre-order will receive world heavyweight boxing champions, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, along with the Backyard and Kumite Customization Packs containing in-game cosmetic items. Additionally, EA Access members can receive an early access trial to UFC 4 and have the opportunity to participate in pre-launch and UFC 4 challenges that unlock in-game currency starting on August 7.
UFC 4 is out this August 14 on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Epic Games has released the Fortnite update 2.78 July 21 patch, or what the studio calls Fortnite v13.30! Same as always, we’re here to bring you not only the list of official fixes, but also the datamined content from reliable dataminers too.
Fortnite Update 2.78 July 21 patch notes and datamined content:
Battle Royale:
Supply Drops at The Authority not opening when searched.
Description
Supply Drops at The Authority may at times not open after players search them.
Platforms
All
Workaround
If the Supply Drop won’t open by searching it, you can still open it by shooting the attached balloon.
Floating Rings not visible on platforms with lower settings.
Update
The weekly Challenge “Collect Floating Rings at Steamy Stacks” has been replaced by the “Search Ammo Boxes at The Fortilla” Challenge.
Description
Floating Rings for Floating Ring Challenges may be present but not visible on some platforms with lower settings.
Platforms
Mobile, PC
Black rectangles appearing behind player when turning around in the Storm.
Description
Black rectangles can appear behind the player’s character when turning around in the Storm.
Platforms
All
Gliding not working properly around The Authority.
Description
All forms of gliding, including deploying from a Launch Pad or Jules’ Glider Gun, may not work properly when around The Authority. Gliding may either stop when near The Authority or not start.
Platforms
All
Save the World:
Goin Constructor animation issue.
Description
Repeatedly raising and lowering the shield during the “Goin Constructor” ability can prevent other guns and abilities from functioning.
Platforms
All
Workaround
Using “Goin Constructor” again or respawning should put you back in a workable state.
Ammo is consumed when a weapon is dropped and picked up.
Update
We believed this issue to be resolved in the v13.00 Update. We’ve seen reports of this still happening, and we’re diving back in to investigate.
Description
Dropping or spawning a weapon and picking it up will sometimes cause you to lose ammo.
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Mobile:
Players names are cut off in voice chat tab of social menu
Description
Players will have difficulties identifying and observing the players in their party.
Platforms
Mobile
Workaround
In the frontend, players can observe and interact with ‘Party Members’ in the ‘Play’ tab.
Datamined Info from Fortnite update 2.78 July 21 patch:
We’ll be updating this throughout the day as more info is datamined. Once we’re done updating, we’ll mention it in the post itself. Final update done! Check out all the new cosmetics, people.
Ubisoft Massive has released The Division 2 update today July 21 patch, or what console gamers will see as The Division 2 update 1.25. This is Title Update 10.1, and brings a big heaping of fixes. Read on for the full patch notes below.
The Division 2 Update Today July 21 patch notes – Title Update 10.1 patch notes:
Audio & Subtitles
Added missing audio for Keener’s Legacy collectibles. You can find more information regarding the delay here.
Added missing subtitles for Keener’s legacy collectibles.
Weapons
Changed maximum Rifle ammo capacity from 280 to 420
Gear
Forge (named holster)
Shield health bonus increased from +10% to +50%
Gear Sets
Foundry Bulwark 3-piece gear set bonus
Armor regeneration lowered from +3% to +1%
Added +50% shield health
Loot
Increased minimum item power and chances for higher power items for several difficulties, resulting in higher average rolls overall
Slight increase on Challenge
Bigger increase on Heroic and Legendary
Sealed Caches
Increased power of items from Field Proficiency and Dark Zone caches to be on par with Heroic tier loot (up from Challenge)
Increased power of items from Clan caches to be on par with Legendary tier loot (up from Heroic)
Increase of item power of Legendary tier loot also affects all season caches
Moved general pool Exotics from mission final boss loot to mission completion rewards
This means that an Exotic that drops as loot from a final boss in a mission will either be the Exotic specific to the mission (e.g. The Bighorn in Legendary missions) or an Exotic from the current targeted loot pool, but not a random different Exotic. These extra random Exotics can still be awarded with the same frequency but are acquired as an Exotic Cache from the mission completion rewards instead.
Skills
Chem Launcher
Reinforcer repair over time strength increased by 11%
Reinforcer ammo lowered from 3 to 2 at skill tier 0
Reinforcer now gains +1 ammo at skill tier 4
Firestarter base ammo lowered from 2 to 1
Firestarter now gains +1 ammo at skill tier 4
Riot Foam now gains +1 ammo at skill tier 4
Oxidizer now gains +1 ammo at skill tier 4
Hive
Increased base duration of all hive variants from 50s to 180s
Restorer Hive base range increased from 6m to 8m
Restorer Hive range increase per skill tier reduced from +20% to +10%
Restorer Hive charges lowered from 12 to 8 at skill tier 0
Restorer Hive now gains +4 charges per skill tier
Restorer Hive drone speed increased from +5% to +10% per skill tier
Restorer Hive repair strength increased from +120% to +140% during overcharge
Restorer Hive range increased from +175% to +200% during overcharge
Stinger Hive now gains +5% drone speed per skill tier
Stinger Hive now gains +80% drone speed during overcharge
Reviver Hive charges lowered from 4 to 1 at skill tier 0
Reviver Hive base cooldown lowered from 240s to 180s
Reviver Hive now gains +1 charge per skill tier
Reviver Hive now gains +5% drone speed per skill tier
Reviver Hive range increased from +75% to +100% during overcharge
Booster Hive charges lowered from 12 to 8 at skill tier 0
Booster hive now gains +4 charges per skill tier
Booster Hive no longer increases weapon damage
Booster Hive buff effect now increases hazard protection, in addition to weapon handling and melee damage
Booster Hive drones now cleanse status effects from the player on hit
Booster Hive buff amount increased from +10% to +20% at skill tier 0
Booster Hive stim efficiency increased from +10% to +33% per skill tier
Booster Hive now gains +5% drone speed per skill tier
Artificer Hive charges lowered from 10 to 8 at skill tier 0
Artificer Hive now gains +4 charges per skill tier
Artificer Hive now gains +10% range per skill tier
Artificer Hive now gains +10% drone speed per skill tier
Artificer Hive skill refresh increased from +1s to +3s at skill tier 0
Artificer Hive skill refresh increased from +20s to +22s during overcharge
Artificer Hive now gains +100% range during overcharge
Artificer Hive now gains +150% skill haste during overcharge
Trap
Shock Trap base cooldown increased from 50s to 60s
Shock Trap base duration increased from 30s to 60s
PvP Modifiers
Assault rifle damage increased by 9%
Striker drone damage increased by 38%
Firestarter chem launcher explosion damage reduced by -50%
Deployed player skills now take 4x more damage from hostile players
Bug Fixes
Fixed a delay between the EMP Sticky Bomb exploding and the start of the cooldown.
Fixed a delay between the Firefly skill being destroyed and the start of the cooldown
Fixed the Blinder Firefly failing to blind enemies.
Fixed the Blinder Firefly cooldown starting before the effect ends if the player has not selected the maximum number of targets.
Fixed the Demolisher Firefly not working on Support Stations in Legendary difficulty.
Fixed inconsistent health at different skill tiers for the Striker Drone.
Fixed Special Field Research not granting Apparel Cache rewards.
Fixed a PC/Stadia issue causing players to be sent to the Inspect menu when attempting to buy weapon skins with a control.
Fixed an issue causing Keener’s defender drone to become invulnerable when affected by a jammer pulse.
Fixed the “Eliminate Guardians with another Guardian’s explosion” challenges not completing in the Guardian Global Event.
Fixed an issue where only one of Lieutenant Gray bodyguards would deploy their shields in Operation Iron Horse.
Fixed an issue where players could spawn inside spawn closets in Operation Iron Horse.
Fixed multiple instances of robotic NPC voices encountered in missions.
Fixed missing image for the Thermite Outfit in the in-game rewards menu.
Fixed Termite league activities appearing as completed under certain circumstances.
Fixed several crafting materials not being shared when purchasing the material sharing perk.
Fixed an issue that would allow players to spawn another Javier Kajika if defeated very quickly.
Fixed named NPC Alexandra “Tidy” Popov not spawning during the final boss fight in the invaded version of the Space Administration H.Q.
Fixed a UI only issue on the Trauma Specialist talent where it states “REQUIRED” but gives no further context.
Fixed missing League Timer on Stadia.
Fixed missing leaderboards in the Base of Operations and Haven.
Fixed FPS drop when opening multiple leaderboards.
Fixed duplicate clan mates in the Top Clan leaderboards.
Fixed the inability to remove facial hair at the Barber.
Fixed incorrect texts being displayed for the Crafting Material Cache in season reward previews
Fixed incorrect GearScore ranges being displayed in the World Tier crafting bench upgrade blueprints
Fixed an issue where some brand, raid and other gear set crafting materials were not shared even if the material sharing perk was purchased:
Walker, Harris & Co. “RNGR” Polymers
Ironworks Base Materials
Ironworks Bulwark Alloy
Ironworks Future Fabric
System Corruption Data Core
Strikers Battlegear Plating
Eclipse Protocol Membrane
Once we know more info regardiing the bigger Title Update 11, we’ll let out readers know.
CyberConnect2 has released the DBZ Kakarot update 1.21 July 21 patch and it’s a super small download. Clocking in at just 250MB on PS4, and just 60MB on PC (via Steam), this latest patch doesn’t add the anticipated Card Battle mode that was mentioned in an issue of V-Jump magazine.
DBZ Kakarot Update 1.21 patch notes:
Bandai Namco nor CyberConnect2 has released any official notes, and the Update History on the PS4 only says “Made Other Adjustments.” However, Reddit user The-Master-Reaper also commented that they noticed there is “a little bit of less lag” regarding the PS4 version.
Same as before, we’re going to keep digging and will update the post with what we find that got changed. If you spot any changes, let us know down in the comments. Once we verify it’s legit, we’ll update the post and credit you (as was the case with this DBZ Kakarot patch).
If you haven’t checked the game out yet, make sure you read our review and see why we mentioned the following:
Regardless, if you are a big fan of the series or want a perfect place to start, then Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is a definite buy. Easily being able to offer over 40 hours of story content, and even more for side content, DBZ Kakarot is an exceptional welcomed title in the franchise.
Once the Card Battle update is out, we’ll let our readers know.
Xbox gamers looking for bargains, the Xbox Store sale July 21 to July 27 deals are now up! This is also known as the weekly Deals With Gold and Spotlight Sale. Below are the discounted games peoeple can buy right now.
Xbox Store Sale July 21 – Deals With Gold and Spotlight Sale:
Batman Arkham Knight is at a measly $5, and that’s definitely worth it for the franchise-capping chapter from Rocksteady Studios.
In other Xbox news, don’t forget, a games showcase for the Xbox Series X is happening later this week! There’s also the demo event kicking off as well.
Just two weeks ago, Capcom released the massive Monster Hunter World Iceborne patch that brought in the new Elder Dragon Alatreon. The studio has today released the Monster Hunter World Iceborne update 14.01 July 20 patch, and as one might expect, this is for bug fixes more than anything.
Monster Hunter World Iceborne update 14.01 July 20 patch notes:
Main Additions / Changes:
Data related to future event quests has been added. (can only be used by players who have purchased Monster Hunter World: Iceborne).
Bug Fixes and Balance Adjustments:
The following issues were fixed in this update.
French: A spelling mistake in the update notice window was corrected.
Previous: l‘incidence de la pandémie du coronavirus (CODIV-19)
Corrected: l‘incidence de la pandémie du coronavirus (COVID-19)
As mentioned previously, that’s basically it. If there are any gameplay-related changes that players find in this patch, let us know down in the comments and we’ll update the post if they’re proven legit.
Aside from Alatreon, Monster Hunter World Iceborne players can also take on the Frostfang Barioth this coming August! Read on about that and the armor sets that come with the new monster variant here.
With Infinity Ward pushing skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) hard in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare multiplayer, some might be wondering whether this is the future of online multiplayer. While the actual devs themselves might be the only ones who can answer that depending on the game they’re making, we here at MP1st decided to seek out what the gaming personalities think of it.
We’ve reached out to YouTubers, community members and more regarding SBMM, and below are their responses. The people we’ve contacted are respected members of the Battlefield and Call of Duty community and have a lot to say about the subject (understandably so).
Without further ado, read on.
(Note: Opinions shared have been edited for spell checking, grammar and punctuation, but aside from that, was left as is).
MP1st Staff James:
SBMM is one of those things we always hear people cry about, and while I don’t think the current system is perfect, I’ve always felt it somewhat made sense. As a player who’s always wanting to get better, I prefer the idea of being matched with people of my skill level, even if it means I’ll be losing my matches. I’m someone who prefers the challenge, versus stomping on a bunch of new players who from their perspective see it as unfair. SBMM is really there just for that, to ensure that new players are having a great time, though that is an issue in itself.
In recent years, games like Call of Duty have added SBMM, which hasn’t exactly faired well with the fans. This is completely understandable because let’s face it, COD is more of a casual, mainstream shooter, just as is Battlefield. People want them to be their go-to games and relive whatever stress that they may have. So while I like the idea of SBMM, I don’t exactly agree that it should exist everywhere, or at least a better system should be in place. Will it kill games? Well that just depends on the game. Looking at the recent Modern Warfare, it’s clear that the system is making players turn their backs on it.
If SBMM would come to BF (Battlefield) it would kill off the server browser. since those don’t go hand in hand together If they wanna add SBMM, add it for ranked/try hard play, but keep the normal /casual modes ping-based.
Skill-based matchmaking makes sense at a competitive level, but when it comes to the general public, it only works with low player counts.
If you think of various sports: football, futball, MLB, other leagues; they have various levels of experience and skill. It makes matches more interesting, it generates competition and it helps people grow. It gives them an opportunity to become top in their skill level, then move to the next. However, it’s very difficult to apply this concept successfully to larger people (player) counts, such as recent games that are trying to figure out how to implement this idea. With larger games, specifically games that involve large numbers of random players, players that are competitive, players that are considered casual, SBMM just doesn’t work. A game can only control certain aspects of skill, but the player is always going to bring randomness. For larger game modes, say 16v16 and up, it just doesn’t work to try and force people into certain matches, based on what the game developer deems is “skill.”
Skill levels come in all shapes and sizes. I have players on my scrim rosters that have negative KDR (kill/death ratio) but end up in first place for score because they are insanely good at reviving my team. There are players that might only get 3-4 kills in a competitive match, but maybe they watched a flank the entire match and communicated to the rest of the team when enemies were coming in, protecting an entire side. I also have players on my teams that will go 5 KDR in scrims, and I know I can count on them to just frag. How do you define which of them has skill? I see games try to come up with all sorts of ways to determine skill.
All in all, SBMM can work in some circumstances. Things like small matches, sponsored competitive matches or events, but I just don’t ever see it working with the core of most games. That is the casual, random gamer that just wants to hop on and play for a bit, in a large game with random people from around the world.
Skill Based Matchmaking is certainly a hot topic at the moment in gaming. Whether or not it’s conducive to an enjoyable experience is a widely debated topic amongst the gaming communities, one of the most notable being the Call of Duty and Warzone communities.
Our thoughts on the subject matter is that SBMM doesn’t HAVE to be as large of a problem as it is today. It can be done correctly. A ranked mode can help alleviate the sweat fest that current lobbies have become.
We can assure you that SBMM isn’t going anywhere anytime soon though. It’s made almost every company that’s implemented it more money than when they didn’t have SBMM. They are a business at the end of the day, and profit speaks louder than the vocal minority of their users on social media. I (Doug Dagnabbit) personally wouldn’t mind seeing SBMM in gaming going forward, as I understand that it can really benefit the casual gamer who only plays every now (and then). I think the gaming community just has to start to understand that the people you see speaking out on Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms are the vocal minorities. If the changes the publisher and developers make = more money, they will keep those changes. This is another reason why we won’t be seeing Prestige in upcoming Call of Duty games, as far as we are aware of currently at least. Their Season Pass has done too well for them to scrap in favor of Prestige. I hope that gaming companies can move towards something more in line with what Xbox and Microsoft are doing with their CloudX servers coming to Game Pass Ultimate with no additional charge. That’s taking care of your customers.
SBMM is an essential tool that devs use to ensure the longevity of their games. It gets the most attention in the CoD community but Fortnite, Apex, and almost every game on the planet is using some form of SBMM right now. Back in the old days better gamers would usually be placed in lobbies with weak opponents. If you’re in the top 1% of skill, then almost everyone you meet will be worse than you. For those games it was great. It felt like a reward to be able to play casually all the time and stomp. But for the other 99% it was a plague that ruined their ability to play normally and made the game not fun. This is an important fact because developers noticed that gamers who get smashed over and over again usually quit and don’t play any more. \
Every publicly traded publisher uses MAU’s (montly active users) to show value to their shareholders. If they are losing MAU’s because sweats are smashing them then something has to be done. Thus, SBMM roughly ensures that you play at equal skill levels all the time. To the best of my knowledge these systems work as intended and do help increase player retention. I personally think it was created to quarantine the sweaty players and keep them from ruining casual experiences. The problem with the system is that it doesn’t fit CoD or BF or Fornite or a lot of these BR games. These games are designed around non-competitive casual experiences and are radically different from say Siege or Overwatch. Part of the experience of CoD is trying all the guns and unlocking new stuff. If you are at a high enough skill level, the system will ensure that you have to try your hardest and use the best equipment possible just to hang in the match. There is no room for experimentation, fun, or casual play. Thus, SBMM makes the game experience a lot less fun for hardcore players. Companies seem to be ok with this because those guys will play the game anyway and their numbers are too small to make up for the MTX (microtransactions) purchases of the casual masses.
I wish we could have:
Ranked -> Elo system
Casual -> super loose SBMM or maybe only protected bracket SBMM
You do kind of have to have a safe bracket for gamers who are brand new or perhaps have disabilities which limit play.
For me the most frustrating thing is that lack of clarity from any developer on this. Pretty much every company is of the belief that gamers can’t handle the truth.
Well, there you have it, folks! What do you think of SBMM? Is it something you think is needed given it protects new players or should developers ease up on it so players will be able to run wild for long stretches of a time? Let us know your thoughts below.
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players are used to getting weekly playlist updates every Tuesday, Infinity Ward has today announced the Modern Warfare upcoming playlist update for this week, and close-quarter map fans, rejoice!
Head on below for the new playlist that should be rolled out tomorrow via a server-side update.
Modern Warfare upcoming playlist update:
Shoot the Ship 24/7
Ready to Shoot the Ship? Close-quarters gunplay excels in both locales while marksman can find longer sightlines on Shoot House’s flanking routes. Take advantage of the more frequent engagements you’ll have on both maps to knock out some of this Season’s Officer Challenges and reap the XP rewards. Plus, search for successive kills in the Cranked playlist where you’ll have a short amount of time to get your next kill (or assist) or boom, you’ll explode.
3v3 Gunfight Snipers Onlu
Reinfected Ground War
Duos Stimulus (Warzone)
Plunder Quads (Warzone)
In addition to the playlists getting a refresh, there’s also a new cosmetic bundle! Operator Charly gets the “Earth Expeditionary Force” bundle, which gives “The Outrider” skin, Legendary Colonial Standard LMG, a new watch, weapon charm, calling card, and emblem. Check out The Outrider skin below (Rytec AMR not included in bundle).
There’s also the “Racing Series: Mach 8” bundle, which features red tracer blueprints the Autoclave SMG, the Winner’s Circle handgun, and two vehicle skins! Check out a preview of ’em below.
Once this playlist is out, we’ll let our readers know.
Looking for a new multiplayer game to sink your teeth into? Developer First Watch Games, which is under the Hi-Rez Studios label (SMITE, Paladins), has today launched third-person shooter Rogue Company on the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC!
The shooter offers crossplay and cross-progression right from the get-go. Check out the trailer, pricing and more below.
Rogue Company is available to purchase today in three different versions:
Starter Founder’s Pack – $14.99 (€14.99 / £11.99)
Standard Founder’s Pack – $29.99 (€29.99 / £24.99)
For the complete Rogue Company experience, the Ultimate Founder’s Pack gives players more exclusive outfits, emotes, sprays and 1500 Rogue Bucks to spend in game. For the full list of exclusive content for each Founder’s Pack please visit roguecompany.com/founders
Note that this is the beta version of the game, with the full version launching later this year. We’ll give this a go and give our honest impressions .
While Xbox One and PC gamers have been enjoying crossplay benefits for quite some time now, Saber Interactive is fliiping the switch this week as World War Z PS4 crossplay is set to launch this July 22 with the upcoming Dronemaster update!
This was announced by Saber Interactive over on Twitter today:
Join forces across PS4, Xbox One, and PC and turn the tide against the sea of undead. Invite your friends to your party no matter what platform they play on. The Dronemaster Update arrives July 22!
In addition to the World War Z PS4 crossplay functionality, there’s also new content like the Quadrocopter to keep players alive longer!
Lastly, one of the new features being introduced in this Dronemaster update is a new ban system! Players are expected to follow the Code of Conduct which is listed below.
Code of Conduct
When you play World War Z, you agree that you will not:
Violate any law, rule or regulation;
Interfere with or disrupt any server or network used by World War Z Services;
Use any software or program that damages, interferes with or disrupts World War Z Services or another’s computer or property, such as denial of service attacks, spamming, hacking, or uploading computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, cancelbots, spyware, corrupted files and time bombs.
Interfere with or disrupt another player’s use of World War Z Services. This includes disrupting the normal flow of game play, chat or dialogue within World War Z Services by, for example, using vulgar or harassing language, being abusive, excessive shouting (all caps), spamming or flooding.
Harass, threaten, bully, embarrass, spam or do anything else to another player that is unwanted, such as repeatedly sending unwanted messages or making personal attacks or statements about race, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, etc. Hate speech is not tolerated.
Organize or participate in any activity or group that is inappropriate, abusive, harassing, profane, threatening, hateful, offensive, vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit, defamatory, infringing, invades another’s privacy, or is otherwise reasonably objectionable.
Impersonate another person or falsely imply that you are an Saber Interactive employee or representative.
Improperly use in-game support or report buttons or make false reports to Saber Interactive staff.
Use or distribute unauthorized software programs or tools, such as “auto” software programs, “cheat utility” software program or applications, exploits, cheats, or any other game hacking, altering or cheating software or tool.
Modify any file or any other part of the World War Z Services that Saber Interactive does not specifically authorize you to modify.
Engage in any other activity that significantly disturbs the peaceful, fair and respectful gaming environment of World War Z Services.
Use information about users publicly available in World War Z (e.g. on a leaderboard) for any purpose unrelated to the Services, including to attempt to identify such users in the real world.
Promote, encourage or take part in any prohibited activity described above.
For more details on the new player ban system, head on over here.
Excited to know what’s next for Warframe? Well, the wait won’t be long now, as Digital Extremes has announced that the next expansion, Warframe Heart of Deimos will debut at this year’s Tennocon! Remember the delay announcement for the event? Well, it’s pshing through now on August 1!
Check out the teaser below as well as more info on Tennocon 2020.
In addition to the all-day Twitch event featuring the Warframe Heart of Deimos debut, players who connect their Warframe and Twitch accounts and watches 30 consecutive minutes of TennoLive will get Hydroid Prime Warframe, and the hand cannon Athodai for free!
Here’s the other details for Tennocon straight from the press release:
Due to world events, TennoCon 2020 is an all-digital conference — streamed from our homes — that serves to join together the game’s community and the DE team to share their common love for Warframe. This year’s digital conference blends live and recorded events for a fully digital experience. Players can watch and participate in panels, contests, a community-created artwork showcase, and Warframe’s biggest content reveals, starting with the Infested-themed Heart of Deimos demo and the new community-created Warframe.
“Tenno” (players’ in-game name) will see the community-created Warframe (the “Broken Frame”) played live at TennoCon. They will witness the new, technology-enabled Warframe Arsenal Twitch Extension, which gives streamers the power to share their decked-out, high-ranking (or any ranking) loadouts with their players. The Arsenal Twitch Extension soft launches pre-TennoCon, on Thursday, July 23, with a full launch on Saturday, August 1. And, of course, they will be a part of the super-charged show highlight, TennoLive, where Heart of Deimos will come to life.
We’ll, of course, have the devestream up a few minutes before it starts.
While most NBA video game fans are already looking forward to NBA 2K21 and what it’ll look like in next-gen platforms, NBA 2K20 is still slamming hard now. Visual Concepts has released the NBA 2K20 update 1.14 July 20 patch, and it includes some fixes.
NBA 2K20 Update 1.14 July 20 patch notes:
Visual Concepts has yet to release official patch notes, but from what we know, this patch fixed the event clothes and mascot glitch. Not familiar with what it was? Check out the video below.
Reddit user Ho1yJust also claimns the hesitation behind the back move is back but less cheesy when the game first came out (hence why it was removed).
As far as we’re aware, that’s the only thing fixed in this NBA 2K20 July 20 patch. If we do find out more, we’ll update the post. Same as always, if you spot any changes in this patch, share ’em below in the comments and we’ll update the post if it proves to be legit.
While Activision has still not announced this year’s Call of Duty, more and more details about it has seeped its way out. Today, the Call of Duty 2020 map names, campaign mission titles and more have been datamined from the Red Door game file on Xbox One that’s currenlty being picked apart by people.
Here’s part of it from Twitter user and someone who’s in the know when it comes to Call of Duty datamining, Modern Warzone.
#CoD2020 currently has 8 Multiplayer Maps, 11 Campaign missions + 2 Side missions, as well as 4 #Warzone maps.
Note that based from YouTuber Xclusive Ace’s massive info leak obtained last month, there’s reportedly 10 maps that will be available at launch. I suggest reading that to know more about the streaks, health, and more.
Same as with every datamining and given that this year’s Call of Duty has yet to be announced, things are subject to change and that includes the Call of Duty 2020 map names and info listed above. It is something to chew on for now while we wait for Activision to formally announce this year’s Call of Duty though.
